Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Hold Rating

Key Points

• Zacks Research upgraded Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI) from a "strong sell" to a "hold", and the analyst consensus remains a Hold with a $11.00 average price target amid mixed views from other firms (KBW: outperform, $11.50 target).
• ARI reported quarterly EPS of $0.26, meeting expectations, while revenue of $73.25 million well exceeded the $46.97 million estimate.
• Shares trade near $10.99 (52‑week range $8.27–$11.24) with a $1.53 billion market cap, and institutional investors own about 54.4% of the stock—Invesco notably raised its stake by roughly 50%.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on ARI. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their target price on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from $10.75 to $11.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $11.00.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE ARI opened at $10.99 on Monday. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $10.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.27. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance has a 52-week low of $8.27 and a 52-week high of $11.24. The firm has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a quick ratio of 96.78, a current ratio of 96.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance (NYSE:ARI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.26. Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance had a net margin of 46.66% and a return on equity of 7.94%. The business had revenue of $73.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.97 million. Equities analysts predict that Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance will post 0.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARI. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 43.4% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 21,016 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 6,358 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 8.9% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 19,328 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582 shares during the last quarter. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 14.5% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 17,093 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $165,000 after purchasing an additional 2,166 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,146,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance by 50.4% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,291,072 shares of the real estate investment trust's stock valued at $12,498,000 after purchasing an additional 432,377 shares during the last quarter. 54.43% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Company Profile

Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance, Inc NYSE: ARI is a real estate finance company structured as a real estate investment trust (REIT). The company focuses on originating, acquiring and managing a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate debt and preferred equity investments. As an externally managed vehicle, ARI leverages the expertise and resources of an affiliate of Apollo Global Management, a leading global alternative investment manager.

ARI's investment strategy is centered on providing first mortgage loans, mezzanine debt financing, bridge loans and preferred equity across a broad range of property types, including office, retail, industrial and multifamily assets.

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